Have you had enough with dining hall food? Well, grab a twenty dollar bill, pots and pans and that dorm kitchen.
The dish of the day is a simple shrimp taco, made with ingredients from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. The shrimp is the protein in this dish, but it can easily be replaced with chicken, steak or tofu. When using shrimp, be sure to rinse them off and detail before cooking.
Let’s get started! These are the items you will need to recreate this plate.
Ingredients:
- Tortillas (Trader Joe’s, $2.49)
- Jar of minced garlic (Trader Joe’s, $2.49)
- Shrimp (Whole Foods, ½ pound for $6.62)
- Frozen rice (Trader Joe’s, $4.49)
- Black beans (Whole Foods, $1.99)
- Bell peppers (Trader Joe’s, $2.49)
- Cilantro (Trader Joe’s, $1.99)
- Pico de gallo (Trader Joe’s, $2.99)
The ingredients add to a total of $25.55. The recipe feeds up to four people, which comes out to about $6 a person, so invite your roommates and floormates to share.
Instructions:
Grab some olive oil and any other spices you would like to add. Salt, pepper, garlic salt and red pepper flakes are a few favorites.
Place a small saucepan on one of the burners, turn it on low heat, and add a dash of olive oil. Once the oil heats up a bit, add a spoonful of the minced garlic. The garlic is cooked once the smell is potent.
When the garlic is ready, it’s time to cook the protein. Add your shrimp or other meat and turn the heat up to medium. Shrimp cooks pretty quickly, so once the tail turns pink, flip the shellfish over to sear the other side. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
As your protein is cooking, start preparing the next part of the tacos. The rice is from the frozen aisle of Trader Joe’s, so pop one of the packets in the microwave for three minutes. When the rice is cooked through, combine your rice and beans in a pot and keep warm on low heat.
When all of your shrimp are prepared, place them on a plate and let them cool. In the saucepan where you cooked the shrimp, add in more olive oil and garlic.
Once the garlic is cooked through, add your desired amount of bell peppers. Turn the heat up to high to get a good char on the vegetables. They should take about two to three minutes to finish.
When your veggies are done, you can assemble your taco. Feel free to heat up your tortillas in a pan on low heat or microwave.
Open up a tortilla on a plate and add all of the toppings. When plating, start with a spoonful of rice and beans, then peppers, shrimp and a little bit of pico de gallo. If you garnish with cilantro, make sure it has been rinsed.
There you have it: a simple and tasty taco to eat for lunch or dinner and an inexpensive and easy way to chef it up in the dorm.
Looking for a few more recipes? Try your hand at these.
Pizza is a favorite dish for most, so try making your own smaller pies on an English muffin. Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese are the classic base, but feel free to spice it up with some BBQ sauce and various cheeses.
Add your desired toppings and pop them into the oven to bake. These are great when you are looking for a quick meal that should only take around 15 minutes.
Missing TDR’s rice bowls? You can make your own easily in the dorm. Trader Joe’s has some affordable toppings and delicious sauces that you can use to customize your own rice bowl.
It can be Asian, Mexican or Mediterranean style depending on your toppings. Make sure your rice and toppings are fully cooked through, then just assemble.
Cooking can be easier than you think, and playing chef in the dorm can be a great way to practice for later in life.
Check out the video that accompanies this article on TikTok!
This article was edited by Maria Tedesco, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown and Ella Rousseau.
